Plans to convert cafe into 18-bed home refused

Plans to turn a derelict cafe into a home for up to 26 people have been refused, with planners saying it would be an "overly intensive use of the property".

Bradford Council denied the planning application to convert the vacant property on Greaves Street, which was once a house but had been converted into a cafe.

A planning officer said the house of multiple occupation (HMO) would result in excessive levels of noise and disturbance from residents' comings and goings.

They said: "The cumulative effect of a minimum of 18 unconnected individuals occupying the property would result in an unacceptable level of disturbance."

The property near Trident Park and the Manchester Road bridge was badly damaged by fire in April 2022, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

A planning application submitted by Mustafa Ghanim aimed to convert the building into an HMO with 18 bedrooms.

The planning application said: "The proposal will bring an empty and dilapidated building back into permanent use with maximum occupancy which is currently required in the area.

"A new use needs to be found for this building quickly in order to secure its future."

But the plans raised serious concerns for officers at Bradford Council, who pointed out some of the rooms were double occupancy, so there would be a minimum of 18 people, and possibly up to 26 people living in the former cafe.

They said: "Given that the original dwellings likely accommodated medium to large-sized families, the proposed conversion into an 18-bedroom HMO housing a minimum of 18 occupants would represent an overly intensive use of the property."

The plans included a number of small communal kitchens, but no dining space or communal lounge.

Officers said: "The communal facilities are considered inadequate to meet the needs of this many occupants.

"The absence of living/dining spaces means that residents would mainly be confined to their bedrooms, with no adequate space for social interaction.

"There is already a high dependency on on-street parking, and the proposed HMO would exacerbate existing parking pressures."

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